Chapter 300: Never Be Apart!

As the magic light gradually dissipated, the scene before Ansu's eyes underwent a total transformation.

The lighting magic stones emitted a soft halo, enveloping the entire mine in a quiet and bright atmosphere. He had been brought back to the "treasure vault" by Celia—deep within the mine in the northern Black Forest.

Celia pulled him along, and the two of them sat together on a bed covered with soft fur.

“There, the nuisance is finally gone!”

Her eyes crinkled with a smile as she leaned close to Ansu, affectionately stroking his cheek.

“Ansu... we're safe now.”

Her slender fingertips slowly traced over his furrowed brow. Celia carefully outlined his features as if confirming that the person before her truly existed.

Ansu observed her in silence.

Celia's pupils flickered with a dangerous dark red light, and a faint black mist drifted around her forearms, where fine, scale-like patterns were faintly emerging.

At the same time, the magical aura surrounding her fluctuated violently and was extremely unstable, mirroring her current emotions.

Great, she's gone yandere again...

He grumbled inwardly.

And besides, how exactly is this safe?

He really seemed to have a jinx with this little black room; every bit of bad luck happened right here...

“Ansu, do you still feel unwell? Let me heal your injuries!”

Celia suppressed the dark tide surging in her heart, her tone incredibly gentle, as if the earlier conflict had never occurred.

Ansu gave a helpless, bitter smile. “I think I'm the one who should be treating you.”

Celia froze for a moment, a flicker of confusion crossing her eyes. “I'm fine. I don't feel unwell at all...”

Ansu raised his hand, his gaze falling on the exquisite mithril handcuffs. “Celia, are you... planning to treat me like a prisoner?”

“No~” Celia flashed a peculiar smile.

She lightly shook the handcuffs connecting them, producing a faint clinking sound. “See? I'm handcuffed too. We're the same!”

“Then what do you mean by this...?” Ansu's eyebrows shot up.

“This way, we can never be apart! We'll never be apart again!” Celia's voice suddenly rose a few notches. She gripped Ansu's hand tightly, her fingertips exerting a bit of pressure.

“I want you to be in my sight at every moment, never to leave me!”

“No one can take you away... You're mine...” She suddenly began to mutter in a panicked whisper, her fingertips digging into Ansu's wrist as if she wanted to embed his hand into her own flesh and blood.

“You have to stay by my side forever, stay with me always! That's what you promised me, Ansu!!”

In those dark red eyes, a near-crazed possessiveness churned.

It was like a vortex that sought to destroy everything, threatening to swallow Ansu whole...

Watching her hysterical state, Ansu knew he absolutely couldn't provoke her right now; that would only make her "condition" worse.

Over all this time, he had gained quite a bit of experience in helping Celia recover from her witch-like state. He softened his voice, speaking as if soothing a spoiled child.

“Alright, alright... I'll stay with you. Don't worry~”

“Stay with me always!” she immediately corrected him, her tone stubborn.

“Yes, I'll stay with you always,” Ansu nodded.

“Mhm! Be a good boy~” All the gloom in Celia's gaze gradually dissipated. Her weary face relaxed slightly, and her grip slowly loosened.

Ansu's gaze fell back onto the handcuffs, carefully examining the complex runes engraved upon them.

“Are these... magic-suppressing handcuffs?”

Strangely, however, he could feel the mana surging within his body at this moment.

“No!”

Celia shook her head, then spoke with a hint of pride in her voice, as if showing off her own little invention.

“These handcuffs condense my entire understanding of magic runes. No one can crack them, and no one can cut them! Only this way can we be together always! Together forever!”

Ansu's tone became increasingly helpless. “So I have to wear these all the time from now on? Even when going out?”

“No, they can be hidden~” Celia smiled and reached out with her other hand. A tiny trace of mana gathered at her fingertip, and with a gentle tap, the mithril handcuffs instantly vanished from sight.

She stroked Ansu's palm, their hands pressed tightly together. It looked like an ordinary couple holding hands.

“Don't worry!” Celia looked up at Ansu, her eyes filled with an inseparable tenderness. “I love you so much; how could I let you be embarrassed in front of outsiders? See, isn't this wonderful?”

Ansu looked down at their joined hands, speechless to the point of being unable to decide whether to laugh or cry.

“Miss Witch, um... you certainly have thought of everything...”

“Right?!” Celia's eyes curved into crescents, as if she truly took that as a compliment.

Ansu always lost his temper whenever Celia went into her yandere mode...

He pursed his lips and simply stopped talking.

...

Afterward, Ansu settled into the treasure vault.

He didn't ask Celia when she would let him out; he just stayed with her quietly, waiting for her to slowly recover through his companionship.

The Miss Witch was very clingy, insisting on pressing close to him even when resting, as if he would vanish into thin air the moment she let go.

The lighting magic stones cast a soft, bright glow. On the sofa, Celia leaned against Ansu's shoulder, pestering him to tell her all the stories of his trip to the north.

Ansu recounted the dangers and wonders of the journey in detail, though, of course, he had to use a bit of "selective editing" for certain key parts.

For instance, he tried to mention Freya as little as possible, especially the part about sleeping in the same bed...

But even so, Celia still felt a surge of intense jealousy.

After all, it was truly impossible to avoid mentioning Freya during this northern trip.

From the initial invasion of the Wolfgar tribe to the mysterious appearance of the hero party, then uncovering the truth, defeating Gulzan, and the death game with the demon... Freya's traces were everywhere.

“This Freya...” Celia said suspiciously. “The more you talk, the more I feel something is wrong. I suspect this entire northern trip was her conspiracy from start to finish!”

Ansu didn't catch on. “What conspiracy?”

“That woman has been acting pitiful and playing innocent to win your sympathy. Her goal was to lure you in step by step! Then, she would quietly steal you away from me!”

Celia narrowed her eyes, her tone becoming more certain as she spoke. “If I hadn't arrived in time, she would have definitely succeeded...”

“Ansu, we don't need her anymore!” Celia snorted coldly. “What demihuman allies? Just a bunch of useless trash. They aren't that important anyway. Why should our cause be constrained by her?”

Ansu shook his head helplessly. “What about the Church of Holy Light? Old Paul specifically designated Freya as the Holy Maiden, and she has a very high reputation in the Talin region now. The people call her the Goddess of Victory...”

“Wait... that makes it even more obvious!” Celia became increasingly convinced of her theory. She said gloomily, “Looking at the results! She even got her hands on that divine spark fragment... On this trip, she not only gained powerful strength but also won the people's support! Freya is the biggest winner; you were all played by her!”

“Huh?” Ansu smiled helplessly, thinking that the silly girl didn't have that level of cunning...

Celia's voice carried a hint of ruthlessness. “She's grown stronger now and doesn't even respect me anymore! Nurturing her further is just inviting a threat. Why don't we... just kill her! That will eliminate the trouble forever!”

As she finished speaking, a red light flickered in her dark eyes once more, and the mana fluctuations around her became increasingly chaotic.

“Calm down.” Ansu furrowed his brow. “You're making her sound like a master of conspiracies... Freya inheriting the divine spark fragment was just the optimal solution under the circumstances...”

“Ansu!” Celia's gaze locked onto his. “Why are you taking her side so much now? Do you choose to believe her, or me!”

“I believe you, obviously,” Ansu said instinctively.

“If you believe me, you can't believe her!” Celia leaned in close, her eyes full of coldness. “Today, you must make a choice!”

...